We all do a variety of things. I maintain the library website, troubleshoot and work with databases, and put statistics together for reports. I promote the library and write articles for various Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast publications. I teach library information skills to students in their classes, and help them with their research when they come into the library. I’m in charge of our online Ask a Librarian service, which allows students to get help from a librarian without actually coming to the library. And sometimes I even help check out books.
Q. Where does your expertise come from?
I taught high school history and English for nine years before I became a librarian. As an undergraduate student at Indiana University, I studied a lot of history, which gives one a broad working knowledge on just about everything. I also received my Library Science master’s degree from IU Bloomington. I was there in the early days of the Internet/World Wide Web revolution, so I learned about both traditional, print resources and the emerging Web products.
Q. What is unique about you that could be of service to the Ivy Tech community?
I’ve always been interested in geography and history, the world outside the United States, and current events/news. I was a real news junkie when I was a teenager; I would watch all three major network evening news programs if they were on at different times. As an adult I’ve always subscribed to a weekly news magazine and the daily paper. And I’ve always liked science—I was a biology major when I started college. Consequently, when students need help researching a topic, I probably already know something about it.
Q. Recommend a book to us that you enjoyed.
You can’t go wrong reading Twain or Vonnegut. You know those novels and plays you had to read in high school English classes? They’re all better if you read them again as an adult. Unfortunately, I don’t read many books. But I get The Economist, Sky and Telescope, Natural History, and Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History at home, and those magazines keep me busy.
Q. What’s your favorite thing to do outside the library?
I watch way too much television. I moved to Fort Wayne almost three years ago, and bought a house a year later. Any homeowner knows how much time it takes to keep a home in order. I spend a lot of time puttering around out in the yard, mowing, working on the landscaping, cutting firewood, clearing brush, etc. At this stage it’s still fun, but eventually it will become a chore.
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